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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mate — a partner
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cell — in biology
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. last — final
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. suit — clothes
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com